Flag of Philippines

Flag of the Philippines

The Philippines flag is one of the oldest flags in all of the Pacific. It is partly inspired by the flag of the Katipunan, a group that opposed the Spanish government that ruled over the islands during the colonial period. The flag's design shows a strong influence from a variety of nations, although the flag's resemblance to that of the United States is a coincidence. The Philippines flag is noteworthy in that it is one of the only flags in the world that is displayed upside down when the nation is at war.

The Philippines national flag is a bicololor horizontal flag with equal bands of royal blue and scarlet red, and a white triangle at the hoist end; centered in the triangle is a golden yellow sun with eight rays. Each ray represents one of the country's first provinces that started the 1896 Philippine Revolution against Spain; and at each vertex of the triangle is a five-pointed golden yellow star representing the country's 3 main islands (Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao). This flag can indicate a state of war if it is displayed with the red side on top.

• Capital of Philippines: Manila
• Area of Philippines: 298,170 sq. km
• Languages used in Philippines: Filipino (official), English (official), 8 major dialects (Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan
• Religions in Philippines: Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Iglesia ni Kristo, Aglipayan, other Christian, Muslim

Colors and Symbolism of the Philippines Flag

The flag of the Philippines is made up of two horizontal stripes of blue and red that stretch out from a white triangle that is aligned along the flag's hoist. The center of the triangle features a golden sun with eight rays along with a golden star in each vertex. The emblem gives the Philippines flag meaning as a symbol of the nation's geography. The three stars stand for the three major island groups of the Philippines, while the large sun stands for eight of the nation's provinces.

The flag's color scheme also gives the Philippines flag meaning. The white section stands for liberty, equality, and fraternity. The red portion represents courage and patriotism, while the blue stands for justice and peace.

History of the Philippines Flag

The first flags of the Philippines rather than a colonial power were those of the revolutionary Katipunan movement. The movement's flags had red fields with white emblems, but the precise emblem varied from one flag to the next. The most notable of these flags came into use in 1897 and featured a sun emblem that resembles the emblem of the modern flag.

The modern flag came into use in 1898, but it was not used for long before the Philippines came under American control. The flag was banned between 1907 and 1919, which led to the American flag's frequent use within the islands. It was formally adopted as the nation's flag once again in 1920. It has been used ever since apart from a brief period of Japanese occupation during the second world war.